Randall Kirk Hammet sig?

rivera213

rivera213

Guest
I haven't played this amp- mainly due to my pure hatred of Kirk Hammett, but the amp itself (in theory) sounds great (possibly too good to be true).

This is what i understand:

KH1- Fender Twin-esque cleans
KH2- Marshall '87 JCM 800-esque rhythm crunch
KH2- Mesa (Mark IIC+ ?)-esque tight, high gain

Now, i'm not the biggest fan of Randall amps anyway, but i think that's slightly ambitious for any company, especially since the Hammett sig uses 6L6's & his JCM used EL34's..........

I've heard clips of it but has anyone played it "raw" and if so, how close does it come to those sounds?

Cheers

- Steve
 
Re: Randall Kirk Hammet sig?

some of the MTS amps have both EL34 and 6L6 power amp sections and the modules can be programmed to them.
 
Re: Randall Kirk Hammet sig?

@ JMH151- Have you compared the V3 back to back with those 3 amps (well, any JCM800, any Mark and any Twin)? I have a forum friend who has that amp but he hasn't really given me much info on it and i haven't played 1 raw so i'm ignorant of the amp.

How tight is the low-end and are the highs smooth or harsh? (Whenever i've seen an amp which says "big" or "deep" low end it's normally a saggy amp).
 
Last edited:
Re: Randall Kirk Hammet sig?

I bet the randall is a solid amp. It got GREAT great reviews in Guitar Player. I mean GREAT reviews.

It's based on Egnater's designed. Actually, the whole modular series was invented by him, and liscenced by randall. So if you ever needed some more tones in the studio, get a vox module, Bogner XTC module, etc, etc. and you're good to go.

I'd try to actually try one out. they look incredible.
 
Re: Randall Kirk Hammet sig?

But in the back of my mind i'm thinking it's Kirk's amp. Lol.

I'd love to try it out for sure, if it's as good as it sounds in theory then i can imagine it being a mainstay for 20 years or so. Long after Kirk's finished his career. It probaly wont be called the KH sig though.

BTW- In your sig, if you change the '59 to Jazz that'd be my perfect hard rock tone. A friend of mine has a de-lish GLP with the C5/Jazz combo and i've played that guitar through many great amps and it wa an awesome sounding guitar through every amp. Seriously great stuff.

The C5 bridge is my favourite Duncan bridge pickup (Allround) in a mids-heavy guitar.
 
Re: Randall Kirk Hammet sig?

RE: C5 - agreed!!! Great pickup for a mid/bass heavy guitar. Like an LP! I love the jazz neck too, but something about the 59 just feels right to me. Probably because the first LP I ever bought had a 59 in the neck when I got it.

RE: Randall - I hear what you mean about signature series amps. I'm like that with guitars. I don't really want anyone else's name on it.

That being said, if you played the Randall KH with your eyes closed and loved it, then I say go for it.

The whole modular thing is just awesome.

I'm getting an Egnater Mod50, which is like a 2-slot version of the KH head.
 
Re: Randall Kirk Hammet sig?

I was highly disappointed at the lack of a built-in wah...

But seriosuly though, I haven't tried the KH but I did find a Lynch Box w/ the matching 4x12 and it kicked some serious booty. What a GREAT sounding rock head. It had the copper, Mr. Scary and his "recto" type module installed and wow...

The copper module alone was plenty versatile, lots of definition, plenty of gain (for me) and I loved the voicing. The Mr Scary kicked it up a few notches and had a totally different feel. More gain, more scooped... nice "rock" thing happening. His version of the recto module, in that head with that cab reminded me of my old '94 Recto solo head. To a "T". That sound was spot-on.

Downsides? The build quality left something to be desired. None of the modules felt solid in the head... there was some play in the fit. Also one of power tubes had already burned up, so it was running on 3 of 4 power tubes. The "fail" light was on... and they say the amp will keep running, which it did... but according to the kid @ Scam Cash the amp had been on the floor for less then a week.

A few days later at a different dealer I played the 'stock' Randall MTS head & V30 cab with the blackface, XTC and some other module... and was NOT blown away. It sounded rather average... didn't have the sheer size, punch/thrust and depth of tone that the Lynch Box had.

Wasn't even close to be honest. I walked out scratching my head, wondering why those two rigs with the same basic design were WORLDS apart...

Speakers? Lynch's tweaks to the headshell? The modules? I dunno...
 
Re: Randall Kirk Hammet sig?

rivera213 said:
@ JMH151- Have you compared the V3 back to back with those 3 amps (well, any JCM800, any Mark and any Twin)? I have a forum friend who has that amp but he hasn't really given me much info on it and i haven't played 1 raw so i'm ignorant of the amp.

How tight is the low-end and are the highs smooth or harsh? (Whenever i've seen an amp which says "big" or "deep" low end it's normally a saggy amp).
Click to expand...

I have a JCM800 2210 that I've played side by side with the Carvin V3, as well as a few Fenders, I can't remember which.

The Carvin is an overall more modern sounding amp than the Marshall. You can adjust one of the channels to sound like a JCM800 with a booster (like a tube screamer in front), but with more clarity and less noise.

The clean tones on the Carvin are very Fender-y and bluesy, but IMO there's no substitute for a Fender Deluxe. Still, it has one of the best clean tones I've heard on a head running through Celestion V30 speakers.

The Mesa Mark- the Carvin can come close to a Mesa Dual Rec tone, but can't nail it. The clean on the Carvin covers Mark I territory, I haven't played through a Mark II, III or IV to be able to tell you how it compares.

What I like about the Carvin is degree of flexability you have- which a while ago was comparable to a Mesa Road King, but now Egnater has an amp that competes for the price (at 1499- Carvin is 999).

I think the Marshall, Mesa and Twin are excellent one trick ponies, and the Carvin V3 is good at trying to fit all of those in one box. I haven't played a Randall, so I don't know how close it comes
 
Re: Randall Kirk Hammet sig?

rivera213 said:
But in the back of my mind i'm thinking it's Kirk's amp. Lol.

I'd love to try it out for sure, if it's as good as it sounds in theory then i can imagine it being a mainstay for 20 years or so. Long after Kirk's finished his career. It probaly wont be called the KH sig though.

BTW- In your sig, if you change the '59 to Jazz that'd be my perfect hard rock tone. A friend of mine has a de-lish GLP with the C5/Jazz combo and i've played that guitar through many great amps and it wa an awesome sounding guitar through every amp. Seriously great stuff.

The C5 bridge is my favourite Duncan bridge pickup (Allround) in a mids-heavy guitar.
Click to expand...


You don't have to get the KH sig. The RM100 series heads have the same 6L6 power section and module slots. The Lynch version has EL34's. Then you stick whatever modules you want in it.

I mentioned this amp in KGMESSIER's thread about offloading his amps for one mega amp. I haven't personally played it, but I've seen quite a few cats use them for stage setups lately so they don't have to haul so many amps around on tour.
 
Re: Randall Kirk Hammet sig?

guitfiddle said:
Hate to say it, but your Les Paul is a siggy guitar...food for thought.
Click to expand...

DOH!!!

:smack:

Well, out of all the signature guitars, I feel the Les Paul has almost transcended that... considering they make Les Paul signature SLASH guitars, or other artists. ya know what I'm saying?
 
Re: Randall Kirk Hammet sig?

Truant said:
You don't have to get the KH sig. The RM100 series heads have the same 6L6 power section and module slots. The Lynch version has EL34's. Then you stick whatever modules you want in it.QUOTE]

Actually, the KH's power amp is supposed to have a little more more bottom end/bass than the RM100. Same technology and switchable modules, but the KH has a little more bottom end
Click to expand...
 
Re: Randall Kirk Hammet sig?

Truant said:
You don't have to get the KH sig. The RM100 series heads have the same 6L6 power section and module slots. The Lynch version has EL34's. Then you stick whatever modules you want in it.
Click to expand...

There's the rub.

I played both the Lynch & the RM100 within 48 hours of each other at different dealers but with the same guitar... my LP with the Alnico II. Totally different beasts. The difference in the bottom end alone was staggering, the Lynch Box with it's cab was mammoth! So much bottom that I had to dial it out on both the channels/modules & the resonance "master" knob to avoid overtaking the mids & highs. It was also hella tight at all times.

The RM100 on the other hand, running through a straight front marshall V30 cab was anemic by most standards, and especially next to the Lynch. Even with the channel bass controls & head master "resonance" dimed it was much smaller and much more generic.

Was it the speakers? The modules?

I haven't figured out why yet & probably won't bother contacting Randall until the 800 leaves and I have cash for a new amp... but I am curious to know why those two rigs are worlds apart.
 
Re: Randall Kirk Hammet sig?

Yeah, according to the Randall website, the Lynch cab is an oversized, rear port cab with Lynch's custom speakers. Might explain why it had so much bottom end. (or might not!)
 
Re: Randall Kirk Hammet sig?

Some great info lads, thanks alot! :)

I wish Guitar Center/Centre would open a shop in London. I'm shocked they haven't already, although they may own 1 of the shops here.

They probably wouldn't be able to get me out of the shop though. Ha ha.
 
Re: Randall Kirk Hammet sig?

Apparently the KH signature Randall is darker sounding than the standard MTS units and if I remember correctly the cab has 2 GK12s in the bottom and Vintage 30s in the top (both by Celestion).
 
Re: Randall Kirk Hammet sig?

the KH has two cabs. One has 2 G12T-75's and 2 Vintage30's, the other cab has 4 (custom) G12H-100's.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

MetalManiac
Shiva Vs. Splawn
Replies
6
Views
3K
UberMetalDood
U
Back
Top